The present invention relates to an optical unit and an imaging apparatus which project an image of a subject on an imaging device.
Generally, in an imaging apparatus projecting an image of a subject on an imaging device, a movable optical system (e.g. lens group) is placed in front of (on the subject side of) an imaging device that has a rectangular imaging surface, and a light quantity control member such as a shutter, an aperture diaphragm or the like is provided within or in front of the movable optical system.
A light quantity control driving device as a motor and so on for driving the shutter or the aperture diaphragm and an optical system driving device for moving the movable optical system in 6 the optical axis direction are arranged at an interval of a large angle around the optical axis so as not to interfere with each other (e.g. US2005/0146637)
However, the light quantity control driving device and the optical system driving device are obstructive factors in further reducing the projection area in the optical axis direction of the optical unit. Although the projection area in the optical axis direction is reduced when the light quantity control driving device and the optical system driving device are arranged in a line in the optical axis direction, the optical unit is elongated in the optical axis direction, and the need for reducing the thickness cannot be satisfied.